This paper uses multivariate time series methods to investigate convergence of Chinese real GDP per capita at regional and provincial levels over the period 1952 – 2001. We reject convergence across regions. However, we find evidence of common trends among the provincial real incomes within...

We investigate the convergence of Chinese real GDP per capita at regional and provincial levels, looking separately at the sub‐periods before and after major economic reforms and paying attention to the possibility of structural breaks induced by the ‘Great Leap Forward’. At the regional...